


Seoul 99

by LilacChocolate



Series: Seoul 99 [1]
Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV), SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Police, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Boys In Love, Boys Kissing, Cats, F/M, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Police, Threats, cute cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-19
Updated: 2017-12-25
Packaged: 2019-02-17 01:27:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,925
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13066269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilacChocolate/pseuds/LilacChocolate
Summary: Captain Choi Seungcheol is in love with his Sergeant, Yoon Jeonghan, but will he ever confess?





	1. Just a Normal Day

**Author's Note:**

  * For [constellationskies](https://archiveofourown.org/users/constellationskies/gifts).



> My darling Stephie,  
> Happy birthday! ♨(⋆‿⋆)♨  
> I hope you have an awesome day! I know it might not be as great as you hoped because of yesterday, but I'll always be here for you.  
> I'm so lucky to have you and I'm so grateful we decided to start talking (✿◠‿◠)  
> I love you to the moon and back ★~(◡‿◡✿)  
> Lots of Love,  
> Lila (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

‘Oi.’ Jeonghan walked straight into Captain Choi’s office without knocking and dumped a file down on his desk. ‘You were supposed to sign this warrant two days ago.’

Seungcheol spun around in his chair with a smirk and Jeonghan averted his eyes: he didn’t want his captain and best friend to see him blushing. He would only tease him and want to know why his sergeant was blushing so.

‘Yeah, sorry. I’ll do it now,’ he said as he reached for a pen.

‘Why the wait, Cheolie? Attending open mic nights again?’

Seungcheol tried his best to glare at Jeonghan but he never seemed able to truly glare at his angelic sergeant who always made his heart beat faster whenever he was near. ‘No. I’m just tired. And you know I don’t have the best memory.’

Jeonghan hummed and perched on the edge of Seungcheol’s desk. ‘I still don’t know how you managed to pass the captain’s exam.

Seungcheol leant forwards, his hands only a centimetre away from his sergeant’s thigh. ‘You fancy being captain instead?’

‘Nah. Too hard. But you are good at your job, even if you did forget to sign this warrant.’

Seungcheol smiled and leant in even closer. ‘Thank you, Jeonghan.’

There was a knock on the door and the two men turned their heads, but otherwise didn’t move.

Hansol was stood in the doorway, looking a little frazzled. ‘Captain, sergeant, the precinct is getting busy, so if you’ve finished flirting, do you think you could come and help?’

Jeonghan glared at the younger man but didn’t argue. He and Seungcheol had stopped denying the rumours about them a while ago now and just ignored what people said. It had hurt him to hear his best friend say they weren’t together like that when Jeonghan so wanted it to be true. He much preferred it when Seungcheol just smirked at the comments people made.

He hopped off the desk and made his way back into the main office of the precinct, and his eyes widened when he saw how busy it had gotten. He really needed to pay better attention instead of flirting with his Captain.

Jeonghan sat behind his desk and waved over the next victims in line. Two men and their young son came over, the boy sniffling as he held onto the smaller man’s hand. The smaller man sat down on the chair positioned at the side of Jeonghan’s desk, and his son crawled into his lap. The other man wrapped his arm around his husband’s shoulders.

Jeonghan smiled at them and got his notepad out. ‘Can I take your names and ages, please?’

The taller man cleared his throat. ‘I’m Mingyu and I’m thirty. This is my husband, Wonwoo, who’s thirty-one, and this is our son, Chan. He’s eight.’

Jeonghan smiled at the little boy. ‘Hi, Chan. I’m Detective Sergeant Yoon Jeonghan but you can call me Hannie, if you like. Would you like a sweet?’

Chan shook his head then turned away and buried himself in his dad’s chest.

‘Sorry,’ Wonwoo said, ‘he’s very nervous.’

‘It’s alright. Now, what seems to be the problem?’

‘Our cat has gone missing,’ Mingyu said.

‘Catnapped,’ Chan whispered.

Wonwoo sighed. ‘Chan, we’ve been over this-’

‘Someone took her, dad!’

Jeonghan looked between the father and son with narrowed eyes. The 99 didn’t usually deal with missing cats, but a possible kidnapped cat? That could be interesting. ‘When was the last time you saw your cat?’

‘On Sunday,’ Chan said, suddenly no longer nervous now that someone was taking an interest. ‘We were having a picnic. Socks, our cat, was sat on the blanket. We went inside to get some more drinks. Then…’ Chan started to cry and turned his head back into Wonwoo’s chest.

‘I’m presuming Socks was gone?’ Jeonghan asked trying not to sound insensitive.

Mingyu nodded. ‘We looked for her for a whole week, but… nothing.’

Chan sobbed and Wonwoo rubbed a hand up and down his back. ‘It’s alright, darling.’

‘Is there anyone you think who would want to take her?’

Chan lifted his head up. ‘Lee Jaeeun.’

‘And who’s she, Chan?’

‘She’s a friend from school. She came over two weeks ago. She saw Socks and said she wanted her. My daddies wouldn’t give her to Jaeeun, but she said her daddy gets her whatever she wants.’

Jeonghan tapped his pen. _Lee Jaeeun_. That name sounded familiar. ‘Okay. I think that’s all I need for now. If you give me your address, I’ll be round in a few hours to investigate.’

Chan’s small face lit up. ‘Thank you, Mr Detective!’

Jeonghan smiled. ‘It’s alright. I’ll be round soon.’

Mingyu scrawled down the address, along with a contact number, then the family left.

He wrote a few more notes down, listening to the activity of the rest of the precinct. Hansol and Jisoo were squabbling as they simultaneously took statements, Jihoon was constantly telling Seungkwan to shut up, and Junhui and Minghao were feeding each other noodles over their computer monitors. Just a normal day at Seoul 99.

Behind him, Jeonghan heard Seungcheol’s office door open, and the sound alone made Jeonghan’s heart flutter.

‘Soonyoung, can you get this warrant submitted?’

Seungcheol’s assistant sighed. ‘Captain, I really can’t. I need to save my feet for my dance show tonight.’

Jeonghan could practically hear his best friend’s eyes rolling. ‘Soonyoung, if you do this, I won’t make you do anything else for the rest of the day.’

‘Fine. But I’m going on my chair.’

A moment later, Soonyoung glided past on his desk chair and Jeonghan smiled at him. He loved teasing his best friend and seeing him get all flustered was hilarious, and it was an added bonus when other people did it, too.

He carried on writing, but looked up when he heard someone plonk down in the chair beside his desk, and attempted to hide his blush when he saw Seungcheol sat there.

‘Good case?’ the captain asked.

‘It’s not bad. A bit strange. It’s a missing cat. Or a kidnapped one. I said I’d go around later to investigate. By the way, does the name Lee Jaeeun mean anything to you?’

Seungcheol cocked his head to one side. ‘I feel like I recognise it. Why?’

‘The little boy thinks she may have taken the cat, but I don’t know. Am I okay to go now and take a look?’

‘I might come with you, actually.’

Jeonghan narrowed his eyes. ‘Why? I don’t need protection anymore, Cheolie. I’m a police officer, not a princess.’

Seungcheol looked away for a moment, trying to stop himself from imagining dancing with his beautiful best friend whilst wearing a ball gown. ‘I know. It’s been a while since I’ve worked a case, that’s all. I don’t want to get rusty.’ That was a lie. He just wanted to spend time with his Hannie. Ever since he had become captain, his extra responsibilities meant he and Jeonghan didn’t get to spend much time together outside of work. He was increasingly afraid that they would grow apart, or, god forbid, Jeonghan would get a boyfriend or girlfriend. He knew how gorgeous his best friend was, and Seungcheol desperately wanted to call him his, but he knew he couldn’t. The angelic Yoon Jeonghan was far out of his league and it pained Seungcheol every time he reminded himself of that fact.

Jeonghan smiled: he would never pass up on the chance to work with Seungcheol, but he didn’t want to seem too eager in case the man figured out his feelings for him. He couldn’t stand it if he ruined their friendship. ‘Alright then. But you’re driving.’

Seungcheol grinned and he stood up, about to go and get his car keys, but he stopped short when there was a BANG from the break room. ‘What the hell is going on?!’ he shouted.

Hansol, Jisoo, and Seungkwan appeared out of the smoke that was filtering into the precinct office and attempted to block the doorway with their bodies.

‘Nothing!’ Hansol and Seungkwan said in unison, but Jisoo shuffled his feet.

‘I’m sorry, captain, but Seungkwan put a shin cup in the microwave and it kind of… exploded.’

Seungcheol groaned: working at Seoul 99 was sometimes like being a babysitter rather than a police captain.

…

Half an hour later, after the kitchen had been cleaned up and a new microwave had been ordered, Seungcheol and Jeonghan arrived at the home of Socks.

Chan came running out of the house when he saw the police car pull up and Jeonghan got out of the car to greet him.

‘You came!’ the boy shouted.

‘Of course, I came. I said I would, didn’t I?”

Chan giggled. ‘I know.’ The little boy went up onto his tiptoes and tugged on Jeonghan’s hair. ‘It’s pink.’

Jeonghan smiled and Seungcheol got out of the car. ‘You should have seen it when it was long,’ he said.

Chan darted behind Jeonghan’s legs. ‘Who’s that?’

‘This is Captain Choi Seungcheol. He’s my boss and my best friend.’

Seungcheol smiled and knelt down. ‘Hi, Chan.’

The boy gave a toothy grin. ‘Hi. You can come inside.’ The little boy led the way, the two detectives following.

Mingyu and Wonwoo were sat at the dining table in the kitchen, the smaller man sat in the other’s lap so they could read from the same book. They both looked up when the detectives entered and Seungcheol and Jeonghan tried their best not to blush. The number of times both men had imagined sitting at home or in the precinct, wrapped up together like that, was getting ridiculous. But it had yet to happen.

‘Hi,’ Jeonghan said. ‘Are we okay to take a look at your garden?’

Wonwoo nodded. ‘Of course.’

‘And we’ll need to take a look at your picnic blanket. And do you have a picture of Socks?’

Wonwoo nodded. ‘I’ll get them for you.’ He made to get up, but Mingyu pulled him back down and kissed the back of his neck. ‘Mingyu!’ he hissed, but the other man just grinned.

Seungcheol and Jeonghan went past them and out of the back door, Chan on their heels. The garden wasn’t all that big, but it was a nice size, mainly filled with grass. It was surrounded by high fences and a few trees, and right at the back was a gate that led out onto the next street.

‘Chan,’ Jeonghan asked, ‘can you show me where you were sat with Socks?’

The eight-year-old toddled over to the centre of the garden. ‘Here.’

‘Then you went inside, right?’ Seungcheol asked: Jeonghan had filled him on the way over.

‘Yep. My daddies came with me to get a drink. Then we heard a really loud meow. And Socks was gone…’ Chan sniffed. ‘Sorry.’

‘It’s okay, little man,’ Seungcheol said kneeling down so he was Chan’s height.

Jeonghan smiled. Seungcheol had always been good with children. He hadn’t really appreciated it when they were younger, but now that he was in love with his best friend, and his daydreams seriously considered starting a family with him, seeing Seungcheol interact with children practically made his heart melt.

Wonwoo came outside holding a picnic blanket and a polaroid which he handed to Seungcheol. He sighed when he saw Chan on the verge of tears. ‘Oh, darling. Let’s get you some ice cream.’

Chan nodded with another sniff, and he allowed himself to be led inside.

‘Cute cat,’ Seungcheol said as he handed the picture to Jeonghan.

Socks was a tabby cat with green eyes, a cute pink nose, and at the bottom of all four legs, the tabby markings stopped and her paws were all white, making it look as if the cat was truly wearing socks. ‘Yeah. No wonder Chan misses her so.’

Seungcheol smiled as he looked over the blanket. Jeonghan would make a brilliant dad. Or mum. He groaned internally: he really needed to stop thinking of Hannie as some sort of housewife, serving him meals in dresses and arriving to work in in heels. ‘I can’t really tell anything from the blanket since it’s been moved. I’ll send it into the lab for fingerprint testing, though.’

Jeonghan nodded and scanned the fences and trees. ‘The fences are too high for someone to have climbed over. The perp would have entered from the gate.’

Seungcheol strode over to the gate and opened it, revealing the next street. ‘This is the only route.’ He looked down at the ground, but there were no footprints in the dirt. ‘Nothing,’ he said, then returned to Jeonghan’s side. ‘The cat probably just ran away or got lost. This case is dead in the water, Hannie.’

Jeonghan shook his head. ‘No. There’s more to this. I’m just going to go inside and get Lee Jaeeun’s address. We’re going there next.’

…

Lee Jaeeun lived right in the heart of Seoul. It was an expensive neighbourhood with large houses and massive gardens, despite it being in the middle of the city. The Lee’s were obviously rich, and Jeonghan believed Chan when he said Jaeeun’s father got her whatever she wanted.

‘Well, shit,’ Jeonghan said as they pulled up outside the house.

‘Language, sergeant.’

‘Like you’re much better, Cheolie. Come on.’

They both got out of the car and bounded up the short flight of pristine white steps to the house and rang the doorbell.

A moment later, an old woman came to the door wearing a cleaning uniform.

‘Hi,’ Jeonghan said with a smile. ‘I’m Detective Sergeant Yoon Jeonghan and this is Captain Choi Seungcheol. We were-’

The door was shut in their face, then clicked as it was locked.

‘Well,’ Seungcheol said, ‘that was nice of her.’

Jeonghan tutted. ‘Let’s drive around the back.’

‘What? Why?’

‘I just want to check out the back garden.’

Seungcheol sighed. ‘We can’t go in it without a warrant, and we don’t have enough evidence to get one, either.’

‘I didn’t say we had to go in it, Captain.’

The other man rolled his eyes: Yoon Jeonghan was going to be the death of him.

They got back in the car and Seungcheol drove to the end of the street before they got out again. The street backed directly onto a thick bank of trees, separating the expensive houses from Seoul’s busy roads. They walked through them until they got to the back of the house. The fence was incredibly high and a cat as small as Socks wouldn’t be able to jump it.

Jeonghan looked up at the trees. He could climb them further up, but he needed a boost to get up there. ‘Cheolie…’

The man groaned. ‘What?’

‘I need a boost. Help me?’

Seungcheol sighed but leant against one of the trees with his hands cupped near his groin. ‘Get on with it then.’

With a smile, Jeonghan placed his foot in Seungcheol’s hands, then clambered up onto his shoulders before he found purchase on the tree.

Seungcheol took a breath as soon as Jeonghan was off him. He couldn’t handle his gorgeous best friend being that close to him.

Jeonghan scaled the tree with ease, but stopped when he got high enough to see over the fence. Sure enough, there was Socks, clawing at the fence and trying her best to jump, but she was too small.

He climbed back down and smiled at Seungcheol when his feet hit the ground. ‘She’s in there, so we have probable cause to knock the gate down.’

Seungcheol shook his head with a smirk. ‘Fine, but this will be held over your head if it goes wrong.’

‘This is perfectly legal and you know it. Now, knock the gate down.’

Seungcheol got into position and shoulder barged the wooden slats, which started to give way immediately.

Jeonghan had always admired his best friend’s strength and with each passing day, it only made him more attracted to Seungcheol. And his thighs. God, his thighs. They were so strong and muscled and-

‘MEOW!’

‘Jeonghan!’

Socks darted out of the garden and Jeonghan only just managed to catch her. She screeched and struggled but Jeonghan shushed her.

‘It’s alright, darling. We’re here to take you home.’

She obviously didn’t understand and kept scrambling to be free, so Jeonghan lifted her up into his arms and dashed back to the car, Seungcheol on his heels.

As soon as the doors were shut, Jeonghan let go of Socks and let her run around on the back seat. He turned his head and watched with a smile as the kitten ran around. ‘We should get a cat.’

Seungcheol almost choked on his own spit. ‘We?’

Jeonghan went bright red as he realised what he just said. They had lived together when they been students at the police academy, but they had both moved into their own apartments after graduation. They hadn’t lived together since then, so how was he going up this problem?’ ‘As in… erm… for the precinct. A cat for the precinct. I read that having animals around can reduce stress.’

‘Yeah. It’s a good idea. I’ll consider it.’ He could barely get the words out. He’d already created a scenario in his head of a rainy day, and he would be sat on the settee in _their_ apartment, Jeonghan between his legs and a tiny kitten on his lap. The raindrops and the radio blurred into the background and the only sounds Seungcheol would be able to hear would be the thrumming of his heart and the scrape of his fingernails as they combed through Hannie’s pink hair. That would be perfect.

They arrived back at Chan’s house, and as soon as the engine had stopped and Jeonghan opened his door, Socks was out like a shot and pawed at the front door with loud meows.

It was opened by Chan a few moments later, and he gasped when Socks jumped into his arms with a happy purr. ‘Thank you, Mr Detectives!’ Chan shouted with a wave.

Jeonghan waved back then shut the door. Seungcheol drove off again, both men smiling now. ‘Back to the precinct then?’ the captain asked.

‘How about a celebratory hot chocolate instead?’

Seungcheol smirked. ‘Nah. Let’s go out with the rest of the team tonight to celebrate.’

‘Why? It was just a kidnapped cat. We haven’t even made an arrest yet.’

‘Because you deserve it.’ And yes, whilst it was only a small case, Jeonghan did deserve it, and Seungcheol wanted an excuse to flirt with Hannie where he could blame it on the alcohol if the other man didn’t reciprocate.

‘The bar it is then.’

…

Jihoon carried over another round of drinks but Seungcheol kept his eyes on Jeonghan. He was sat a few seats away, chatting with Hansol and Minghao. Seungcheol wanted to pull Jeonghan into his lap, or at the very least, sit next to him and rest a hand on his thigh so he could show everyone that he was his.

‘He’s going to notice sooner or later if you keep looking at him like that,’ Jisoo said from next to Seungcheol.

‘I know,’ Seungcheol said with a sigh and stared into his beer.

‘Just confess to him already.’

‘But what if he rejects me?’

Jisoo rolled his eyes. ‘He’s not going to, you tool. The entire precinct knows you’re in love with each other. Do you have any idea how much money I’ve lost betting on when you two will just swallow your pride and get together?’

Seungcheol looked up with narrowed eyes. ‘You’ve been betting on us?’

‘That is _not_ what you should be taking away from this conversation.’

Seungcheol sighed. ‘He loves me?’

‘Yes!’ Jisoo groaned and gave Seungcheol a shove. ‘Now go tell him!’

Seungcheol got out of the booth and went around to the other side where Jeonghan was sat.

The pink-haired man smiled and stood up when he saw Seungcheol approach. ‘I’m tired, Cheolie. Walk me home?’ He was far from tired, but he wanted a reason to spend some time alone with his best friend, away from the other detectives and noisy bar attendees.

Seungcheol nodded with a grin and happily led his Hannie out of the bar. The night air was cool and fresh and the police captain breathed it in, but Jeonghan shivered beside him in the t-shirt he was wearing.

‘You cold?’

‘Yeah. I should have brought a jumper.’

Seungcheol shrugged off his leather jacket and draped it over Jeonghan’s shoulders and the other man settled into it gratefully. ‘Won’t you be cold now?’

‘Nope. I was smart and wore a jumper. It’s the middle of November, Hannie. Why did you even think it was okay to just wear a shirt?’

Jeonghan smirked. ‘I enjoy wearing inappropriate clothing.’

Seungcheol couldn’t help but blush as he remembered the time he had found a pair of fishnet tights in Jeonghan’s bedroom back when they still lived together. He had imagined for weeks what the other man would look like wearing them. What was he saying? Weeks? He still thought about it at least once a day now. ‘Yeah, I know,’ he said as they entered Jeonghan’s apartment building.

The sergeant giggled and jogged up the stairs, the collar of the leather jacket brushing against his pink hair. ‘Want to come in and check that I’ve still got them, captain?’ he said when Seungcheol reached the top of the stairs. Jeonghan stepped forwards and placed a hand on the other’s man’s chest. ‘I may have some other things in there waiting to be found by you.’

Seungcheol felt like he was going to faint and placed a hand on Jeonghan’s waist to steady himself. This boy really was going to kill him. He couldn’t take it any longer. ‘Jeonghan, I’m in l-’

Jeonghan gasped and Seungcheol’s eyes widened in alarm. ‘Hannie? What is it?’ He followed the other man’s eye line and saw that on the doormat outside Jeonghan’s apartment was a dead bird. He took his hand off Jeonghan’s waist and grabbed his gun from the back of his jeans. ‘Stay here.’

The other man nodded, not making an argument about how he was a police officer, too, and stayed put. Seungcheol crept forwards, keeping the gun low. There was no one around and he couldn’t hear anything apart from his own breathing. He approached the bird next. It was a crow with its wings spread out on the welcome mat, but other than that, there was nothing special about it, but it was obviously a warning.

Seungcheol backed up and put his gun away when he reached Jeonghan’s side once more. ‘I don’t know who put it there but it’s obviously some sort of warning or threat. There may be something else inside. We need to get you to the station. You’ll be safe there.’

Jeonghan nodded and let Seungcheol lead him out of the apartment building and bundle him into a taxi. He gave the address of the precinct to the driver, then got out his phone and rang Jisoo.

‘Hey!’ the man said when he answered. ‘Congratulations! I didn’t think you’d confess that quickly!’ The other detectives cheered in the background.

‘No. Listen, Jisoo. There was a dead bird outside Hannie’s apartment. I’m taking him back to the nine-nine. The rest of you need to investigate.’

‘We’re on it. We’ll get back to the nine-nine when we’re done.’

‘Thanks, Jisoo.’ They both hung up and Seungcheol turned to Jeonghan. ‘They’re on their way to yours. I’m sure they’ll have something soon.’

Jeonghan just nodded, feeling shaken up, and when the taxi stopped, he let Seungcheol lead him into the precinct and into his office, where he sat him down on the small settee in there, the leather jacket still strung across his shoulders.

‘I’ll go and get you a drink.’

Hannie just nodded, barely listening. Who on earth had put that bird there? He didn’t have any enemies. Even all of the perps he had arrested were on good terms with him.

‘Here you are,’ Seungcheol said and Jeonghan jumped, forgetting he was there.

‘Oh, thanks,’ he said as he took the water from him, but didn’t take a sip.

Seungcheol sat down beside him. ‘How are you feeling?’

Jeonghan shrugged and put the water down on the coffee table. ‘Scared. Confused. I don’t know who would do this to me.’

‘Neither do I. I know you can be a bit of a tease sometimes, but you’re not mean. It doesn’t make any sense.’

Jeonghan leant against Seungcheol and looked up at him with wide eyes. ‘Will you protect me, Cheolie?’

‘Of course, I will. You don’t even have to ask. You can stay with me for as long as you need to. And we can even get a cat.’

Jeonghan smiled up at his best friend. He spent most of his days wanting to kiss him, but this was a moment when he felt like he _had_ to kiss him. He leant up, his eyes on Seungcheol’s lips, but he pulled away when the lift doors pinged open.

Seungcheol reluctantly turned around and watched through the half-open blinds as his team of detectives marched in, along with four men from the Special Forces. He got up and stood in the doorway to his office. ‘What’s going on?’ he asked when he saw the worried faces of each of his detectives.

‘We have some bad news,’ Jihoon said.

‘That bird…’ Jisoo said, ‘it was a warning from a jopok. The Lee jopok, to be precise.’

Seungcheol’s eyes widened. ‘Lee Jaeeun… her father is-’

‘Lee Seokmin,’ Hansol finished for him. ‘Jopok leader.’

Everything fell into place in Seungcheol’s head. Jaeeun got everything she wanted because her father was a gang leader. And now Jeonghan was in danger because of it. He turned around, about to tell his Hannie what was going on, but the other man was stood behind him, tears shining in his brown eyes: he’d heard everything.

‘You’re on his kill list, Jeonghan,’ Jisoo said.

One of the men from Special Forces stepped forwards. ‘Yoon Jeonghan, we’re here to escort you to a safe house until the Lee jopok has been taken into custody.’

Jeonghan nodded. ‘I understand. Can I have a minute to say goodbye to everyone?’

The man nodded and the team of detectives came forwards. Minghao and Junhui hugged Jeonghan first, then Seungkwan burst into tears.

‘Jeonghan!’ he wailed and the sergeant pulled him into a hug, too.

‘Don’t be so dramatic. I’ll see you again, Seungkwan.’

The man sniffed and moved out of the way with Minghao and Junhui so Jisoo could give him a hug.

‘I’m going to miss you, man.’

Jeonghan smiled. ‘Me, too. Just please stop serenading strangers with your guitar at midnight.’

Jisoo smirked. ‘I shall make no promises.’ He moved out the way and Jeonghan rolled his eyes when he saw Jihoon stood in the doorway, trying his best to look nonchalant.

‘Come here, you idiot.’

Jihoon dragged his feet as he made his way over to Jeonghan and let himself be hugged.

‘I know you love me really,’ the sergeant whispered.

‘You wish,’ Jihoon said, then forced himself out of Jeonghan’s arms.

Hansol was next and he practically barrelled into Hannie’s body. ‘You can’t go, Jeonghan.’

‘I’ll be fine. You just concentrate on loving that girlfriend of yours and I’ll be back before you know it.’

Hansol shook his head and pulled away from Jeonghan. ‘I was going to propose to her on Christmas Eve at the precinct party. I don’t want to do it without you being there.’

Jeonghan smiled. ‘You don’t need me to be there. Just make sure someone records it. I want to watch it after.’

‘Do you think she’ll say yes?’

The sergeant rolled his eyes. ‘She’ll definitely say yes. She’d be crazy not to, Hansol.’

The young detective nodded and moved out of the way as Seungcheol stepped forwards. Jisoo ushered everyone out of the office and shut the door behind him.

‘Hannie… I don’t know what to say.’

Jeonghan sighed. ‘I do. Seungcheol, please wait for me.’

Seungcheol narrowed his eyes. ‘What do you mean?’

The pink-haired man grabbed both of Seungcheol’s hands. ‘You know what I mean. I’m in love with you, and I think you are, too.’

Seungcheol felt like his heart was in his throat as he nodded. ‘I am. I was going to tell you before, but-’

‘I know. The bird. You’ll wait for me, right? No matter how long I’m gone?’

Seungcheol nodded without a second thought. ‘Of course, I’ll wait. I’ve been in love with you ever since I can remember. I’d wait forever for you.’

Jeonghan let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He didn’t think confessing would feel this cathartic. He stepped towards Seungcheol and the other man cupped Jeonghan’s jaw, but just as they both leant in to kiss, the door to the office opened.

‘I’m sorry, but we need to go,’ one of the Special Forces men said.

‘Can’t you give us one more minute?’ Seungcheol asked. He wasn’t sure he could wait much longer to kiss Jeonghan.

‘I’m afraid not. We need to go now in order to ensure Sergeant Yoon’s safety.’

Jeonghan nodded. ‘Okay.’ He turned back to Seungcheol and gave his hand a squeeze. ‘I’ll see you soon, right?’

‘Right.’

Jeonghan made to take the leather jacket off, but Seungcheol shook his head. ‘Keep it. So you won’t forget me.’

The pink-haired man smiled and caressed the side of Seungcheol’s face. ‘I could never forget you. Don’t look so afraid. I’ll be back for Christmas.’

Seungcheol smiled. ‘Yeah. I’ll see you then, Hannie.’

Jeonghan smiled, then two of the Special Forces men grabbed his arms and led him out of the precinct, Seungcheol’s heart leaving with him.


	2. Without You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seungcheol tries to cope without Jeonghan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Christmas, my wonderful Stephie! (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ  
> I hope you like the presents I got you! (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧

Jeonghan wasn’t home for Christmas. Seungcheol had gone to the commissioner every day in December and begged him to let him see Jeonghan at the safe house on Christmas Day. The commissioner refused every time: Lee’s jopok still hadn’t been taken down and they had been spotted near Seungcheol’s apartment. It was highly likely they were watching and following him. If Seungcheol visited Jeonghan, then his angel would likely end up dead. As much as Seungcheol wanted to see his Jeonghan on Christmas Day, he couldn’t put Hannie’s life in danger like that. Instead, Seungcheol spent Christmas Day alone, curled up and crying on the settee, letting the television play crap Christmas movies all day long whilst he missed his Hannie.

He returned to work three days later, his face pale and eyes bloodshot from all of his tears. He didn’t want to do this job without Hannie.

Jisoo and Hansol bounced into the office a few moments after him, the latter still beaming after his engagement to his girlfriend on Christmas Eve. _Christmas Eve_. The 99’s precinct party. That Jeonghan didn’t attend.

‘Cheolie?’ Jisoo asked when he saw the state of the captain’s face. ‘What’s wrong?’

‘What do you think is wrong?’ Seungcheol snapped.

Jisoo already knew the answer. As did Hansol. As did everyone in the precinct. But no one ever spoke about it for fear of upsetting their captain.

Seungcheol shook his head and stalked into his office, slamming the door behind him. He drew all of the blinds and opened a desk drawer. Inside was a plaid scarf of Jeonghan’s that Seungcheol had taken from Hannie’s apartment. After the Special Forces had escorted Jeonghan to the safe house, Seungcheol had gone to his best friend’s place. Sure enough, the place had been ransacked by Seokmin’s people. Windows had been smashed and clothes were everywhere. If Seungcheol hadn’t known it was Jeonghan’s apartment, he wouldn’t have recognised it.

Once the squad had been over to sweep for fingerprints – which they found none of apart from Jeonghan’s – Seungcheol tidied everything away. He cleaned the kitchen and bathroom and put everything back in its place. He found the fishnet tights, along with sets of panties and other female clothing. Seungcheol wondered for a brief moment who had seen Jeonghan wearing these, but he quickly realised that no one had. He and Jeonghan had known each other since forever, and neither of them had ever been with anyone. They had both wanted to be police officers since they were little boys. They were so focused on their dreams that they never had time for anyone or anything else apart from each other. That was probably why had grown so close together. That kiss the other night, if it had happened, would have been their first.

He found the scarf shortly afterwards and decided to keep it with him. Jeonghan had taken his leather jacket to the safe house, so it was only fair that Seungcheol had something to remind him of his angel. He had contemplated sleeping over there a few times, but he wanted everything to be perfect for when Hannie returned. Seungcheol only went back to clean and remind himself of what his boyfriend smelt like.

He brought the scarf up to face and smiled as he breathed in. _Peppermint and jasmine._ The man’s scent hadn’t changed, even after all these years.

In the break room, Hansol, Jisoo, Seungkwan, Minghao, and Junhui all sat around the table, their faces drawn.

‘Come on, Jisoo,’ Hansol said. ‘You’re the acting sergeant. What do we do?’

Jisoo shrugged. ‘I don’t know. I don’t know Seungcheol the way Jeonghan does.’

Soonyoung and Jihoon came into the break room, the latter slamming the door behind him. ‘Why do you all look like you’ve swallowed a wasp?’

‘We don’t know how to cheer the Captain up,’ Seungkwan said.

‘And if we don’t, he’ll never get that new vending machine for the precinct,’ Junhui added.

Soonyoung rolled his eyes. ‘Just talk to him.’

‘But what if he shouts at us?’

Jihoon groaned. ‘So what if he does? If he’s just going to mope around, then he won’t get Lee Seokmin arrested, and he’ll spend even longer without Jeonghan.’

Hansol stood up with a smile on his face. Seungcheol and Jeonghan had helped cheer him up a couple of years ago when his now-fiancée had gone back to England to tie up a few loose ends. The least he could do was steer Seungcheol onto the right path to getting Jeonghan back. ‘We’re going to stage an intervention!’

…

An hour later, Seungcheol emerged from his office to get a drink, but he stopped in his tracks when he saw his whole squad, including Soonyoung, lined up before him.

‘Are you all okay?’ he asked, puzzled. ‘If this is about the new vending machine-’

‘Sadly,’ Minghao interrupted, ‘this is not about the new vending machine.’

Jisoo stepped forwards. ‘Captain, we know you’ve been missing Jeonghan. You’re not allowed to see him, however, by catching Lee’s jopok, you’ll be able to be with him again.’

‘But you’ve been moping in your office like a baby for a month and a half now,’ Jihoon said.

Hansol gave him a subtle whack. ‘What Jihoon means is that you have every right to be sad, but that won’t bring Jeonghan back.’

Seungcheol nodded as he listened to each of his detectives. Why hadn’t he started building a case against Lee sooner? The sooner that man was behind bars, then the sooner Jeonghan would be back in his arms.

…

The only initial lead Seungcheol had was Socks’ case, and, unfortunately, there was no evidence to implicate Lee or his jopok. The picnic blanket had come back from the lab with no unknown fingerprints on it, and, according to a judge, it was entirely possible Socks could have gotten into Lee’s garden on her own by mistake. There was no case there at all.

Seungcheol had spent two months going over every single gang-related case that had passed through Seoul 99 ever since he had become a detective. He revisited every single crime scene, went back over all of the evidence, and reinterviewed all the witnesses. He found bits and pieces here and there but there wasn’t enough to implicate Seokmin and build a case against him.

Once more, Seungcheol sat in his office, drumming his pen against the desk, reading over the file of a crime that had happened back when he was still training. He was becoming desperate now: he wasn’t sure how much longer he could cope without Jeonghan.

He finished reading the file, then on a sticky note, wrote down the address of the expert witness. He ripped it off the pad, grabbed his jacket and car keys and left his office. 

As soon as the door shut behind him, Jisoo got up from his desk. ‘And where do you think you’re going?’

‘Out. I have a potential lead.’

‘No, you’re not. You’re going to the nurse’s room for a lie down. You’ve been working Jeonghan’s case like crazy, Seungcheol. I can see that you’re exhausted.’

‘If you’re that concerned, you can come.’

‘That’s not the point I’m making, Cheolie, and you know it.’

Seungcheol ignored him and walked towards the lift, but with every step he took, the lift seemed to be getting further away. Or was his vision getting blurry? The lift doors swam before him and his legs shook, and as he fell down, he heard everyone but Jeonghan shouting his name.

…

Seungcheol woke up with a groan. His head felt like it was going to fall off and his mouth was so dry. Had he swallowed some sawdust when he was unconscious?

He sat up against the headboard and glanced around the room: he was in the spare room at Hansol’s apartment. He’d been here a few times – Hansol’s apartment was the closest to the station and any time the 99 had to work overtime or pull a large scale operation off, they would crash at Hansol’s.

There was muttering from the hallway and Seungcheol looked towards the door. It was slightly open and through the gap, Seungcheol could see Hansol and his fiancée. He could hear them talking, but had no idea what they were saying: goddamn the English language. Hansol then wrapped his arm around his fiancée’s waist and kissed her, which is when Seungcheol looked away. He wanted nothing more than to hold his gorgeous Hannie just like that, kiss him, and put a ring on his finger. Nothing would make Seungcheol happier.

Someone knocked on the door and Seungcheol looked back up. Jisoo and Hansol were stood in the doorway, smiling awkwardly.

‘Can we come in?’ Hansol asked.

Seungcheol nodded and they both entered and sat on the edge of the bed.

‘Lila’s making you some soup,’ Hansol asked.

Seungcheol smiled at the mention of Hansol’s fiancée. ‘I’ll tell her thanks when she comes in.’

‘You’re welcome to stay here for as long as you like to. Haze and I don’t mind. We want to make sure you’re taking care of yourself properly.’

Seungcheol shot Hansol a look. ‘I am doing.’

‘You’re not, Cheolie,’ Jisoo said. ‘I know you think by working Jeonghan’s case like this is the best thing for you right now, but it’s not. You’ll burnout before you can get him back. You’re the youngest detective in South Korean history to make captain. If anyone is going to capture Lee, then it’ll be you, but if there’s no evidence, then there’s no evidence. You can’t create it. What we need to do is put surveillance on Seokmin, find out who else is in his jopok, and maybe get a mole in there. That’s the only way to get concrete evidence right now.’

‘But we can’t do that without a healthy captain. And I’m sure Jeonghan doesn’t want to come home to that. Let us look after you. Captain.’

Seungcheol smiled. He hated to admit it, but they were right. He wouldn’t be able to find Hannie like this, and if by some miracle he did, Jeonghan would be disappointed in him for letting himself get like this. He needed to be more careful. ‘Okay.’

‘Okay?!’ Hansol jumped up with a grin.

We’ll take good care of you, Cheolie.’

The man smiled. ‘I know.’

…

Seungcheol sat in the surveillance van, glaring at one of the screens. He and Jisoo watched as Seungkwan packaged up cocaine in cling film. After Seungcheol had spent a few days recovering at Hansol and Lila's place, he returned to the precinct refreshed and set about working Jeonghan’s case anew. They did as Jisoo suggested and put surveillance on Lee Seokmin, and after a month, Seungkwan managed to weave his way into Lee’s inner circle. The detective had been there for three months now, and they’d tried to extract him several times, but it hadn’t been safe until now. And it just so happened that tonight was when Lee and his jopok were about to ship out a massive drug haul.

To be honest, Seungkwan wouldn’t have been Seungcheol’s first choice for an undercover detective, but he’d done an incredible job. It turned out that Seokmin was a big fan of singing, and he and Seungkwan could harmonise together perfectly. Seungcheol almost felt bad for the pair since knew Lee would be going to prison soon and Seungkwan would lose his new friend, but Seungcheol also didn’t care if it meant he would get Jeonghan back.

It had been four months since Hansol and Jisoo’s much needed intervention and, with the help of his squad, Seungcheol was behaving much healthier. He was eating and sleeping regularly, working out at the gym, not pulling too much overtime at the precinct, and, of course, missing Hannie. He wasn’t as heartbroken as when his boyfriend had first been taken from him. He still missed him like crazy every single day, but he was coping.

‘Okay,’ Seungcheol said into his walkie-talkie. ‘Code word is “ramen”. As soon as Detective Boo says it, we bust in there, extract him, and arrest Lee and his jopok. Do not, I repeat, _do not,_ under any circumstances, let Seokmin get away. Over.’

‘Copy that, Captain. Over.’

Seungcheol carried on watching and smiled as he looked at Seungkwan onscreen.

‘Hey! Seokminnie! Shall we go to karaoke after this?’

‘Definitely!’ Lee shouted back.

‘Then after, we could get some ramen?’

The 99, minus Seungcheol and Jisoo, along with extra uniformed officers, bust into the warehouse and the gang members were apprehended before their guns could be drawn, and Seungcheol smiled when he saw Hansol and Jihoon put Lee Seokmin in cuffs.

Jisoo turned to Seungcheol with a mile wide grin. ‘You go and get in your car and drive to the commissioner’s house. I’ll get the drugs processed and make sure all the men are charged. I’ll ring you when I’m done, and then you can get Jeonghan freed straight away.’

Seungcheol grabbed Jisoo and pulled him in for a hug. ‘Thank you. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.’

The temporary sergeant smiled. ‘You can thank me later. Just go, Cheolie!’

The captain jumped out of the surveillance van and into his car a few metres away. It was late in the evening and Seoul’s rush hour was long over so Seungcheol soon arrived outside the commissioner’s house. He turned off the engine and sat in the relative darkness as he waited for Jisoo to ring him. He got his phone out and scrolled through pictures of Jeonghan. They started with his love when he had long brown hair, then lavender, then brown, then short and blond, before pink. He always looked so beautiful, no matter what. Seungcheol’s heart thumped loudly: he wasn’t sure how he had coped this long without his Hannie.

His phone vibrated in his hands and Seungcheol dropped it in shock, but quickly picked it back up and answered it. ‘Jisoo!’

‘It’s done!’ the younger man said. ‘They’re in the precinct’s cells and their preliminary hearing is set for two days from now, but they won’t get out on bail. More witnesses and accomplices will come forward by then. I’m sure of it.’

‘And Seungkwan?’

‘He’s fine. He’s staying over at Hansol and Lila's for the night. Forget about us, though. Go and get Jeonghan back.’

Seungcheol smiled, hung up, and leapt out of the car. He knocked on the commissioner’s front door and rung the bell for good measure, and a few moments later, the man himself opened the door. He was wearing pyjamas and a dressing gown and was glaring blearily at Seungcheol.

‘Captain Choi, it’s ten thirty at night. What could you possibly want?’

‘Commissioner, Lee Seokmin and all members if his jopok have been arrested and charged. Please can you ring the safe house Yoon Jeonghan is staying at so he can be freed?’

The commissioner rolled his eyes and retreated into the hall for a moment.

Seungcheol watched as his boss scribbled something down on a memo pad then ripped it off. He stalked back over to the door. ‘Wake me up at this time of night again and I will fire you.’

‘Understood, sir.’

He handed Seungcheol the paper. ‘Go and get Yoon yourself.’

Seungcheol’s entire face lit up. ‘Thank you, sir!’ He sprinted back to his car and restarted the engine. Jeonghan had been put up in a house on the outskirts of Seoul that was forty-five minutes away from his current location, but Seungcheol made it there in half an hour.

He pulled up outside the safe house, and without bothering to even turn off the engine or lock his door, he got out and rapped on the door to the safe house.

It was opened by a young uniformed officer. ‘Can I help you, sir?’

Seungcheol got his badge out. ‘Captain Choi Seungcheol. I’m here to take Yoon Jeonghan back home.’

‘Cheolie?’

Seungcheol’s heart almost gave out when he heard his Hannie’s sweet voice. The officer stepped out of the way and there stood Hannie, his eyes wide, faded pink hair dangling down into his face, and jumper hanging off one shoulder.

‘Jeonghan,’ he said after he had swallowed down the lump in his throat.

With a smile, Jeonghan stepped towards Seungcheol. ‘You came for me.’

‘I wouldn’t leave you here. Not ever.’

‘Cheolie…’ Tears glimmered in Jeonghan’s eyes, then he ran forwards and leapt into his boyfriend’s arms. They held each other tight for a moment, as if assuring each other that this was real, that they were together once more, before Seungcheol pulled back and finally, _finally,_ captured Jeonghan’s lips in a kiss. It was timid and careful but full of love and Jeonghan broke away with a sob and buried his head against Seungcheol’s chest. ‘I missed you. Every single day. I can’t count how many times I imagined you bursting in through the door and carrying me out of here.’

Seungcheol rubbed his hands up and down his boyfriend’s back. ‘I wanted to come to you so badly. But I needed to make sure you would be self. Lee and his jopok have gone now. We can finally be together.’

Jeonghan looked up and smiled at Seungcheol through his tears. ‘I love you, Cheolie.’

‘I love you, too, angel. Let’s go.’

Jeonghan’s grabbed Seungcheol’s leather jacket off the staircase banister, then grabbed his captain’s hand and let himself be led away. Hopefully back to Seungcheol’s apartment, where they could just lie in each other’s arms and cuddle, and talk about moving in together and getting a cat. That would be perfect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/

**Author's Note:**

> http://lilacchocolate.tumblr.com/


End file.
